Whether it be his offensive minded play on the blue line or his bone jarring hits, Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall has certainly been an asset for the Wings.
Now they have to think about re-signing him.
Niklas Kronwall enters the 2011-12 season on the final year of his contract and looking to continue his future with the Wings beyond this year.
“As an organization with the history and tradition of Detroit, I think anyone who is fortunate enough to have a chance to play here for many, many years would love to take that,” Kronwall said. “Hopefully, I can do the same.”
According to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com, the Wings are likely to open contract talks with Kronwall this month or shortly after the start of the season.
“Everyone knows I like it here a lot,” Kronwall said. “I want to stay. Hopefully, they want me to stay as well. So whenever they feel it’s the right time to start negotiating we’ll be ready for it.”
“Last year was a good year for me overall,” Kronwall said. “I felt I took a step in the right direction. Hopefully I can build off that, keep getting stronger and keep playing hard out there. Hopefully I can take another step this year.”
Kronwall, 30 will make $3.75 million in the final season of a five-year deal that has a $3 million salary-cap hit.
Locking down Kronwall long-term will likely be one of Ken Holland’s top priorities as we head towards training camp.
Source: Mlive.com